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Ann Romney's battle with multiple sclerosis

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  • Description

    Wife of GOP presidential candidate opens up on diagnosis, treatment

  • Duration 5:17
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Dr. Siegel's Take

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Millions of folks around the world have multiple sclerosis and among the -- and Romney of course she's the wife -- the presidential candidate governor Mitt Romney.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- But she was first diagnosed listen.

Well you know it was a very dark time in my life when I was first diagnosed and I went into a pretty pretty dark place for a long time.

I should -- and it and I think the thing that happens is that when you have a disease like this it takes everything.

Away from you from -- since I was so weak and I was fatigues and site.

Anything that I was doing him a normal life I could no wonder do.

If all the sudden the -- pulled out from underneath you and you're left with nothing.

You go through this phase of some of -- who MIA and what.

-- cool you know what good am I in the world anymore and -- started feeling pretty sorry for myself and had a pretty rough go this is a very humbling thing to go through.

It is pretty Derek.

And the thing that was wonderful as I look back now and I see how I got out of that place.

Was really that help my husband and the help of my children.

-- guys that was -- really terrific and doctor Siegel and what else do you want us to know about what's before us you know.

She's actually quite strong and -- showed a certain -- -- a lot of my patients that have been diagnosed deception have shown but the biggest problem with multiple sclerosis and you don't know what's gonna happen next.

-- -- -- -- are everywhere it's different for everyone but nobody knows when the next exacerbation is coming and that's where the fear comes from she talked about fatigue.

She talked about inability to think clearly she talked about weakness those are the symptoms she had most prominently especially the fifty.

And Jamie she calls it MS -- which I've heard from other patients as well it's a profile of the team.

But in addition to that you can have problems with vision you can have problems -- balance -- up to 13 of people -- paralyzed from this this pain involved.

It's called the great imitator of neurological diseases cause -- -- almost any neurological disease.

And it was very very troubling it is still very troubling but finally there's been some breakthroughs over the last several years.

As we've come to see it as an immunological disease we're where our own body is fighting against us.

There's nerves the lining of the nerves are known as -- when sheets it's almost like an electrical wire in the whining -- -- wider gets attacked by your own body.

And that's why the conduction of the nerves get off and that's why -- can cause so many different symptoms but -- using medications now that can stave that off.

Interferon type drugs that stabilize selves and something called targeted therapy.

That provide intensive therapy almost the same thing but the problem is there's a lot of side effects.

There's a lot of side effects to these particular drugs -- no one out call Lem try out of the can actually affect your platelets worried about that there's another one that can cause encephalitis or swelling of the brain.

So that there -- problems with the treatments can you not treat and -- or toward always put it depends on how -- -- is that's an excellent question the first time it comes on sometimes people have a temporary loss of vision.

You can give steroids and then you can stop and -- For most patients we end up offering the treatments I just mentioned but sometimes it's better to wait because of the side effects of the medications what -- also but -- when Wesley Schultz talked about alternative treatments.

That she's found very therapeutic including riding horses and she's talking about the love between the horse.

And the patient.

And it's not just for a message.

-- -- you know I have to tell you courses are matchup I love the horses -- -- -- somebody.

What's the difference between MSN let's say -- LS which also -- it seems neuromuscular.

They're very similar and as mark mentioned.

This has to do we do autoimmune disease you body's going to fight.

Against dole -- -- The information doesn't really travel fast so they have fifty -- -- do things that we spoke about an overtime.

They can even handle one -- wheelchair but I just want to speak a little bit about her character because I think you're looking at someone she says she went to a dark place.

And -- you don't know on this what this feels like unless you're there you're perfectly fine and one that you can't really walk and you just getting tires.

So he speaks about who she is in the fact that she was able to beat this disease it's a chronic disease just never goes away so did it down in addition to that -- -- -- -- She has to do what breast cancer this is a strong woman who keeps coming back who supports -- family through this tough time whether through the politics or through the disease.

So you know that's a great message for a lot of our patients.

I deal with patients with cancer so that's really great comeback.

Had a great message of hope for everyone out there having said that I think Bob what I'm interest it is really did -- a difference between the questions that you guys.

-- -- -- MRI -- -- -- would show some class in the white matter that's the way we look at MRI and see if they had it we look at this Spinal Tap.

I received a mildly that's segregated the number of proteins and antibodies.

Are really -- that's the way we diagnosis.

So you know I wish her well and I hope that she would -- -- great recovering this is every meeting the relapse.

-- so it's a mark Todd and I'm sure she's gonna do really well I would say her faith.

Place big well absolutely deserves strong it really -- and there's a lot of graduates is remarkable and such a great interviews just you made me you have to be very very powerful man.

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